


Logos

by Tiara_of_Sapphires



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Love at First Sight, Pre-Relationship, author!Seteth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26606251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiara_of_Sapphires/pseuds/Tiara_of_Sapphires
Summary: Byleth, in pursuit of a new book, walks into a local bookshop and meets a children’s author promoting his newest work.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Comments: 18
Kudos: 101





	Logos

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was a longer hiatus than I was anticipating! Clinic work is still kicking my ass and my stress levels are at 1000, but I am back!  
> Thanks to Bee for looking through this!!  
> Enjoy!

Her trip to the local bookstore started, as many things did in her life, because her father decided to do something strange.

It was customary that Jeralt would send her a package for her birthday. He had sent her a small box with a book and a package of fine teas. The tea was expected, as he sent the same package with the same types of tea every year. They were painfully fancy and tasty, so she didn’t argue.

Giving her a book, admittedly, was strange. They had never discussed books during their odd phone conversations and topics definitely didn’t wander into something that would warrant him gifting her _Swords of Antiquity_ by Felix Fraldarius.

Then again, she did mention that she wanted to try a fencing class, but that was months ago. Maybe that was where he made the connection? Or it was her complaining weeks ago about the Renaissance faire that interrupted her usual walk in the local park and he wanted her to have some appreciation for the hobby?

Either way, she couldn’t bring herself to leave the book to collect dust on her tea table, which was similarly collecting dust from all the company she wasn’t having over.

Who the hell writes an entire book about swords anyway?

Apparently, this author could and happily did. He definitely looked like someone who at least _thought_ about stabbing people with swords, if the portrait on the back of the book was any indication. Where he apparently lacked in affability, he made up for it in thoroughness in his research. There were plenty of pictures accompanying his descriptions and retellings of history, some of the pictures taking up whole pages.

Within a week, between an uneventful weekend and quiet lunch hours at work, she had finished the book and even went back to read over sections she found particularly fascinating.

Byleth couldn’t help but marvel at how somehow Jeralt had tricked her into reading books.

If she was going to continue the habit, she started with seeing if Mr. Fraldarius wrote any more books.

After trying way too many times to spell his last name and simply looking up the name of his book, Byleth found that he was prolific in writing about different kinds of weapons.

“I guess he found his niche,” Byleth murmured as she browsed down the list of books.

While she could definitely get the next book in the series— _Archery of Antiquity_ —online, Byleth found herself looking up local bookshops. Even if it didn’t have the book she was looking for, she could find something in a similar vein. Besides…she needed to get out more.

One in particular caught her eye: Azure Bookstore.

Not only was it walking distance from her apartment, the pictures made it look very cheery and welcoming. It was also right across the street from a McDonald’s, so she could get food on her way back from getting her book. Seemed like a good deal to her.

After getting hopelessly lost, she finally found the city block she was looking for.

She immediately caught the dark-blue storefront with gilded accents. It seemed appropriate that it would be next to a florist. The blond man packing wrapped roses into a vase in their storefront smiled at her as she passed.

She took a peek through one of the windows. There was clearly a crowd in one corner of the store, but there were other people browsing through the shelves.

Byleth hummed. They did do a fair amount of business.

She paused at the poster propped up on a tripod just off to the side. On the very top, it announced ‘Visiting Author’. What dominated the poster was a book cover, clearly the spotlight. The cover showed a blue-haired girl riding a horse, titled _The Greatest Knight_.

Below was a long blurb about the author and his long repertoire of works. If he was famous, she had never heard of him, but she didn’t pay much attention to that stuff anyway.

Tucked in the corner, the author’s name and a tiny, grainy portrait.

Seteth Nabatea stared sternly at her, belying all of the whimsy of the book cover seemed to convey.

She pushed through the front door and a bell chimed cheerfully. The silver-haired man at the desk smiled and waved in greeting.

“Do you have the works of Felix Fraldarius in stock?” she asked him. His nametag said that his name was Ashe.

Ashe brightened. “Yes, follow me.”

He led her through the store as a man’s voice sounded over the quiet music that spilled from the speakers mounted on the walls.

“Here we are! Should be right here.” Ashe declared, waving at a shelf full of history books.

Byleth took the book and glanced back towards the loud voice.

“You have a guest author reading here today, right?” Byleth asked him.

He nodded cheerfully. “Yep! It’s kind of a secret thing. This author in particular doesn’t like big crowds, which we would have gotten if this was really publicized.”

“He has a loud voice,” Byleth said, leaning over to see if she could take a glance over the shelves. The voice seemed to fit the portrait, as it was clear and commanding attention.

“Not going to judge you if you go over there,” Ashe said with a grin. “Since you’re so curious.”

Byleth opened her mouth to make a retort before he slipped away back to his station.

“Fine, then,” she muttered.

She slowly wandered over, following the voice to the children’s section. It was startling, the contrast between the neat shelves of books transitioning to bright colors and child-friendly displays that seemed to take up a large part of the store.

Children sat cross-legged on the floor around the reader, parents stood in the back. The guest author sat on a chair, holding his book to show his audience.

Byleth stepped into the little crowd of parents, ignoring the strange look from one or two of the watching parents.

The first thing she noticed wasn’t how handsome the author was—because he really was—but his voice. It was at just the right tempo as he read his book to his audience. His tone wasn't dully matter-of-fact but not syrupy or patronizing to the children who listened to him. Everyone seemed to hang off of every word that came out of his mouth.

Then, there were the words themselves.

She had forgotten what reading books like that, fantastical stories, sounded like.

He wove a tale of a knight who was unhappy with being a knight and slaying beasts, pressured by her parents to be what they told her to be. She searched for her true calling and true happiness.

Byleth couldn’t quite see the illustrations from where she was, but she didn’t really need them. She was entranced. If she was supposed to pay to attend the event, nobody spoke up as she stood in the back.

The story ended with the knight now dressed as a nurse, standing in the sunset.

“Through it all, the bravest knight was happy. And that was what really mattered.”

The last word rang out and he closed the book. For a moment, there was silence before a round of applause filled the room. The kids hooted and cheered. Byleth clapped too, smiling dumbly.

A woman in a smart pantsuit stepped forward and clapped her hands. “Okay, everyone who would like to get a signed copy of the book, please get in line.”

The author stood up and rounded a small table before sitting back down again. The table was covered in stacks of books for him to sign.

Byleth shuffled back as children found their parents and lined up at the table, wincing at all of the chatter that now filled the store. She preferred it when it was only the author’s voice that could be heard.

She got in line behind everyone else. As she waited, she couldn’t help but feel out of place amongst the families that lined up in front of her. All of the children looked to be pre-teens and younger, all of the parents a fair bit older than her.

She waited for what felt like a long time. It seemed like the author wanted to have something personal with each child who came up to him, much to the obvious chagrin of his agent who stood off to the side, practically hidden by one of the wooden displays that decorated the children’s area.

“Thank you,” the child in front of her chirped as his parents led him away to pay for the new book.

Byleth stepped forward to the table with a smile.

He really was more handsome up close, with dark green hair, piercing green eyes and sharp, attractive features. He looked startled for a moment before settling for a smile.

“I admire your patience, you had to wait a bit of time,” he greeted. “I’m Seteth.”

She couldn’t help but blink wordlessly at him. For a moment, it felt like they were somewhere else, like she had met him before. Maybe at a local bar? Did she bump into him on the street and her mind decided the moment was important enough to file away.

“Hello, Seteth,” she said when she finally relearned how to speak. “I’m Byleth.”

“Byleth,” he echoed. “A lovely name. Did you enjoy the reading?”

“I did; your writing struck me instantly.”

He _blushed_ at her words. Surely, he had been complimented on his books before. What made her compliment different?

“Oh. Thank you,” he replied.

They were quiet for a moment, as if they both were remembering where they were.

“I’m guessing you’re here today touring the country, promoting your book?” she asked, trying to break the silence with literally anything.

“As a matter of fact, I am. While I am technically on tour, I’m starting with my home city.”

She absolutely _did not_ feel a flutter of excitement that he also lived in Fhirdiad. “Ah, that’s convenient. Close to home.”

“Very. Ideally, I wouldn’t be on tour at all, but the publisher insisted. Contract and all that. They want to squeeze as much money out of the new release as possible.”

He gestured vaguely behind him, but she could guess that he was referring to his handler, who watched them impatiently.

“Not a fan of traveling?”

“I love traveling,” Seteth sighed. “It’s just my daughter is in school and can’t travel with me. While she is old enough to take care of herself when I am away, I worry.”

There was obvious implication in the words. He was a single father. She wondered if he meant to mention it just in conversation or as a warning of some sort. He must have fathered his daughter young. He didn’t look old at all.”

“I’m guessing she’s a teenager?”

“Yes. She loves it when I’m gone, it seems. She takes joy in being able to take the bus on her own and order food for dinner. Independence and all that.”

He actually pouted. It was almost hilarious. Byleth shrugged. “My dad was like that with me too. I turned out fine.”

Fine, but also bit jaded and resentful of the lack of attention she got as a child, her mind unhelpfully supplied.

Her expression must have become sad for a moment because Seteth leaned a bit forward.

“I see that you are here for another reason besides listening to me carry on. What are you reading?” Seteth asked, gesturing to the book in her arms.

That was one way to change the subject. Byleth had completely forgotten her reason for coming to the bookstore in the first place.

“My dad introduced me to this author and I was here to get the next in the series.”

She turned the book over and showed him the cover.

Recognition immediately dawned on his face. “Ah, I know Felix. He was at the same university in Fhirdiad when I was pursuing my Masters.”

She almost laughed aloud. Of course, they knew each other. Did all authors know each other? “Seems like a grumpy guy,” Byleth intoned.

“Oh, quite. Marriage mellowed him out a little bit, but he is still cantankerous when he wants to be.”

She had no idea that anyone said ‘cantankerous’ anymore, but it had her smiling all the same. “Really? Were you studying the same thing?” she asked.

“No, but I happened to be a TA for one of his classes. I remember that he was always so hostile in discussion sections, but his writing was always thorough and technical. We kept in touch and he does like to needle me from time to time after we both left the school.”

She could almost imagine him getting a snippy DM in the middle of the night.

“What about?” Byleth asked. “I doubt he would hang onto any poor grades you might have given him.”

“Mostly complaining about the accuracy of the illustrations,” Seteth sighed. He continued with a acted drone in his voice, “‘This sword isn’t the right kind for this’ or ‘that isn’t how you draw a bowstring’. That sort of thing.”

“Why doesn’t he direct the critiques to your illustrators?”

“Because he knows she will hunt down and kill him for pestering her like that. She does ax-throwing for fun.”

Byleth glanced down at the book in her arms and drawled, “Should’ve picked up the book on axes, then.”

He laughed and that made her laugh.

Byleth glanced down at the table between them. “While I was here for this book, I would like to get one of your books to take home.”

He nodded. “Well, I have a couple for you to choose from.”

The kids before her had taken most of the stock, but she still could recognize one book that was still available.

“I would like the one you read for all of us, the new one,” she said. “I didn’t catch the whole thing, so I need to read it from the beginning for myself.”

He nodded as he took a copy from the now-reduced stack, opened the front cover and paused. He looked back up at her, sheepish.

“Do—do you want me to write something in it for you or for someone else?”

It felt like a dumb question, but then again, she didn’t look at one of his normal fans. She wasn’t a fan of his until twenty minutes earlier.

“Of course,” she answered. “It’s for me, just for reference.”

It wasn’t like she had anyone in her life who would appreciate an autographed children’s book anyway.

Seteth nodded and put the pen down to paper. His brow wrinkled in thought and it was unbearably cute to watch.

He handed the book over to her with a smile.

“I can already see that my handler wants me to move along,” Seteth sighed with an apologetic smile.

Right, she was taking up his time. He was doing his job and here she was, yammering on and putting him behind schedule. Byleth sputtered, “I’m sorry to have kept you.”

He immediately shook his head. “Oh, no. It was my pleasure.”

He pushed back the chair and stood and Byleth realized how much taller he was up close. She nodded and smiled, ignoring the pang of sorrow that this moment was ending.

“Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Seteth” she said. “I wish you luck on your tour.”

Before she could step away, he stuck out his hand across the table.

“It was my pleasure.”

She sucked in a fortifying breath before grasping his hand and shaking it. His hand was warm and strangely calloused

“I truly am glad to have met you, Byleth,” he murmured.

His hand lingered on hers for just a moment longer, maybe a bit too long to be simply friendly, before letting go.

Byleth stayed rooted to the ground as he turned and walked towards the back of the store, hoping for one backwards glance. Just before he moved out of her line of sight, he saw his head turn just enough to catch her eye.

Byleth blushed as his head immediately snapped back forward. She watched the space he occupied long after he left out the back door.

Well, that was that. Her face hurt from smiling and her heart hurt from a strange sense of regret. Maybe she should have asked him out for drinks before he left the city to his next stop. But then, there was still the chance he was being kind to her out of pure professionalism.

She wandered back towards the front of the store and caught Ashe's eye, back at his station at the cash register.

Ashe smiled broadly at her and she was sure he was happy that he was getting double profit from her just from his suggestion to join the group.

“Shall I ring you up for those?”

* * *

* * *

Byleth walked back to her apartment with a dumb smile on her face. She had entirely forgotten to get food after she left the bookstore, but she didn’t care. She set the archery book in her bag to take to work during the week. Her focus was on the other book.

The illustrator, Hilda Goneril, was exceptionally skillful. She managed to capture the wistful sorrow of the blue-haired knight that Seteth expanded on during the course of the story. The knight's sword was a strange amalgam of a broadsword and a rapier—Byleth hated that he knew the differences from Felix’s book—but the knight's and the horse’s armor were so finely detailed.

She opened the book to the inside cover, finding the message in black pen.

 _Byleth_.

She immediately reddened. He even spelled her name right without her needing to prompt him. And she just let him walk out? What was the matter with her?

_I am glad to have met you and I am sorry we didn’t get to talk more. Please enjoy your copy of the book._

_Seteth Nabatea_

The contrast between the careful script of the note and the spikiness of his signature was almost comical.

Below his signature was a phone number.

_In case, you want to chat more._

“Oh,” she whispered. She bit the inside of her cheek, grinning as her heart fluttered in her chest. So, she didn’t imagine the sparks between them.

She added his contact on her phone and contemplated actually texting him. Calling him was out of the question; she wasn’t that desperate for attention. What if he instantly regretted giving her his number and already swapped out his phone. Or what if it was a prank he was pulling on her, getting revenge for wasting his time? It didn’t seem to be in-character, but, then again, she barely knew the guy.

She typed out a message and sent it off before she could change her mind.

_If I was in one of your books, would I be a knight or a princess?_

She paused and chewed on the inside of her cheek. That was a bit of weird start to a text conversation.

As an afterthought, she added: _This is Byleth, btw._

She set down her phone and started making dinner. After thirty minutes, no ring from her phone. She unlocked it and stared at the two lonely messages in the text conversation until everything got blurry

Then, the little ellipsis blinked at her, startling her so much she almost dropped her phone. They blinked and blinked for a long time and for a moment Byleth didn’t know if he was writing her an essay on why she shouldn’t be contacting him or if he had fallen asleep with his fingers pressed on the keyboard.

Finally, a message flashed into existence.

_Both. Definitely, both._

**Author's Note:**

> Cute? Cute. Sequel? Maybe. Who knows?  
> Anywhoo, all comments and such are appreciated, especially in stressful times like this.  
> [I am also attempting to make my general twitter my writer twitter. Give me a follow there as well!](https://twitter.com/BlooRalts)  
> Cheers!


End file.
